Prescription Drug Take-Back on April 29
Accidental exposure to medications can be a problem in the United States and it’s often in homes with young children, so it’s important to dispose of expired and old medications in the home as they present an unnecessary health risk.
The majority of prescription drug abusers report in surveys
that they get their drugs from friends and family
The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day offers a way to safely and conveniently dispose of medications. On Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., several local law enforcement agencies will accept pills for safe disposal (needles, sharps and liquids cannot be accepted.)
In 2016, this is a free and anonymous service that resulted in 893,498 pounds of pills being collected, and of that number 1,581 pounds were collected in South Dakota..
Americans understand that cleaning out old prescription drugs from medicine cabinets, kitchen drawers, and bedside tables reduces accidents, thefts, and the misuse and abuse of these medicines, including the opioid painkillers that accounted for 20,808 drug overdoses - 78 a day - in 2014 (the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Eight out of 10 new heroin users began
by abusing prescription painkillers
and moved to heroin
when they could no longer obtain or afford those painkillers.
It’s important, however, you don’t dispose of old medications and drugs in the sewer or in the garbage can – both of those disposal methods can lead to accidental exposure, contaminated water, or intentional misuse.
Kieffer Sanitation, the Black Hills area waste management leader, encourages everyone to support the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day as a way to protect our communities from unnecessary exposure to medications in the home and minimize the risk for abuse.
Below are drop off locations or you can search online and locate other locations closer to you.
Rapid City Police Department
Public Safety Building
300 Kansas City Street
Rapid City, SD
Spearfish Police Department
625 5th Street
Spearfish, SD
Spearfish Police Department
Spearfish Recreation & Aquatics Center
Lookout Room, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
122 Recreation Lane
Spearfish, SD
Newcastle Police Department
25 North Summer Avenue
Newcastle, WY
Campbell County Sheriff’s Office
Campbell County Public Health
Parking Lot
2301 South 4 J Road
Gillette, WY
Eagle Butte Police Department
209 Main Street
Eagle Butte, SD
Winner Police Department
217 East 3rd Street
Winner, SD
Last Modified:
= Rapid City
= Belle Fourche
= Gillette